Thank you, Chair and honourable members, for inviting me here.
I'm on the CCR executive committee and I'm also a former co-chair of the immigration and settlement working group. In my day job I work at MOSAIC in Vancouver as the director of family and settlement services, and I've been working in settlement for the past 23 years.
There are four overarching points I'd like to highlight based on consultation with 170 CCR member agencies.
First of all, we believe economic integration is only one aspect of integration. It is important to recognize and value all forms of contribution and participation by newcomers in Canadian society. The settlement sector offers services that are crucial not only to the economic integration and prosperity of newcomers, but also to their social and civil integration and to the integration of newcomer youth. Settlement services are a long-term investment. We also believe that with settlement services we can maximize the prosperity and long-term potential commitment for new immigrants to society.
The second point is that integration is a two-way street. Communities need to welcome newcomers as much as newcomers need to adapt to Canada. Many barriers to newcomers remain to meeting their potential economically, due to discrimination in the labour market, lack of recognition of experience and credentials acquired overseas. This is why settlement service providers need to invest in outreach to the host community, not just direct services to newcomers. There are examples of successful partnership and bridging program models. For example, the local immigration partnerships in B.C. was mentioned. It used to be called welcoming communities. Also with respect to bridging programs, we have seen today there are many innovative projects with CIC on refugee and employer networking. Those are the examples.
The third point we see that is important to mention is that settlement services facilitate the economic integration and prosperity of newcomers. It is important to understand that newcomers, even the most vulnerable who come as refugees or migrant workers, contribute to the economic prosperity of Canada by paying taxes and contributing as workers and entrepreneurs. Recent media coverage indicated that refugees are contributing more than the investors group, and also that after 15 years the incomes of refugee immigrants rose to $30,000. Two-thirds of refugees report an income by their fifth year on a par with the Canadian average.
The last overarching point I'd like to mention is the importance of mental health and psychosocial support services, especially refugees and other newcomers in vulnerable situations, such as abused spouses and newcomer youth, since without addressing mental health issues, all aspects of integration and prosperity are slowed.
I'd like to mention five specific points about the contribution of settlement services to economic prosperity.
First, Canada has a broad network of specialized settlement organizations that are both close to the local communities they serve and highly skilled in identifying and responding to the particular needs of newcomers. These assets have been acquired over decades and are valued internationally. Many other countries are keen to learn from the Canadian experience. The CCR believes it is important to build on these existing assets.
Second, settlement services provide social capital for immigrants upon arrival. In many places networks are just as important as qualifications for finding employment. Service providers serve as references, advocate for the newcomer, and engage with employers to open the doors to employment and economic opportunities.
Third, employment is a crucial aspect of settlement. However, having a job does not mean all settlement needs have been met. It is important to have services available to address the full range of personal and family issues related to integration; otherwise, newcomers will not be able to maintain employment and progress economically.
Fourth, settlement service providers act as a liaison between the realities of newcomer integration and the newcomer integration policy and programming departments in the government. The settlement sector is an independent intermediary that is invested in newcomer prosperity and that keeps the decision-makers connected to the reality of newcomer experience.
Fifth, it is short-sighted from CCR's perspective to have narrow eligibility criteria for access to settlement services, thereby excluding, for example, temporary foreign workers, citizens, and refugee claimants. Such restrictions work against the economic prosperity of many newcomers who will become permanent residents.
Sixth, family reunification is key to integration, including economic success. Long delays and barriers to processing of spouses and children make families more fragile and can have long-term impacts. Reducing the maximum age of dependants to 19 years and maintaining barriers to sponsoring parents and grandparents leave families divided. These changes are especially important for the economic integration and prosperity of newcomer women, since family members may take on child care tasks that would otherwise require women to stay at home and not enter the labour force.